Wilma

Being prepared was a key element that contributed to the successful recording of Awake. Unlike our previous studio releases, this one had the benefit of hundreds of live performances shaping sounds and developing […]

… that actually was inspired by a story that James told me about one of his friends. He told me about one of his friends who he used to work with at a factory… James, I guess he worked with him like years & […]

“… a person that’s… it’s not male or female, it could be either. And it’s dealing with a person who has suppressed their feelings for so long and has finally had enough of it and feels that the only way that […]

The verse goes:

Maybe I’m just Cassandra fleeting
Twentieth Century icon bleeding
Willing to risk salvation
To escape from isolation
Cassandra was a figure in Greek mythology who was the object of the god […]

As noted in the album’s liner notes, John Purdell (Awake’s producer) sang the backup vocals. John Petrucci sings them live.

According to KM, it’s connected to the theme of “The Mirror” with betrayal and disillusionment being the main theme. There also seems to be religious symbolism in the lyrics.

Lie includes themes of betra […]

… that song is more or less just reflecting the duality that exists between a man and a woman; the spiritual side of the relationship & how they both can compliment one another.
– John Myung

I was looking through a clothing catalog and saw a picture of a girl modeling this piece of clothing called a space-dye vest. And, so, I fell in love with her [laughs] for some strange reason & so the minute I did […]

According to Portnoy, it was originally Kevin Moore’s idea and is essentially a copy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The barbed wire represented obstacles and difficulties, the heart endurance and strength, and the […]

JM has only briefly commented about LTL in interviews, but confirmation has been given by MP in other sources that this premise is basically correct.

Learning to Live was inspired by the AIDS epidemic. […]